Part 8. Collection Of Assessments of California Streets And Highways Code >> Division 10. >> Part 8.

(a) The unpaid assessments shall be payable in annual installments corresponding in number and proportionate amount to the number of installments and principal amounts of bonds maturing or becoming subject to mandatory prior redemption in each year pursuant to Section 8650.1. An annual proportion of each assessment shall be payable in each fiscal year preceding the date of maturity or mandatory prior redemption date of each of the bonds which have been issued, sufficient to pay the bonds when due. The annual proportion of each assessment coming due in any year, together with the annual interest on the assessment, shall be payable in the same manner and at the same time and in the same installments as the general taxes of the city on real property are payable, and the assessment installments and the annual interest on the assessment shall be payable and become delinquent at the same times and in the same proportionate amounts and, except as provided in subdivision (b), shall bear the same proportionate penalties and interest after delinquency as do the general taxes on real property of the city.
  (b) The legislative body may provide, in the resolution of intention to do the work, that a penalty of 2 percent per month of the total amount of the delinquent installment shall be added to the delinquent installment after the close of business on the delinquency date and an additional penalty of 2 percent of the amount of the delinquency shall be added at the beginning of business on the 10th day of each succeeding month until that delinquent installment and all penalties thereon are fully paid. This penalty shall be in lieu of all other penalties assessed by other provisions of law. The treasurer or the designated paying agent shall collect the penalties with, and as a part of, the delinquent installments, or the legislative body may designate another official and another method of collection. All penalties collected shall be deposited in the redemption fund.

Interest on all unpaid assessments shall begin to run from the date of filing of the contractor's statement, or as otherwise provided in the law pursuant to which the assessment was levied, or from the date of the bonds if the assessment was levied under the Municipal Improvement Act of 1913 or other law, and shall be computed at the rate specified in the bonds secured by the assessments. For each year interest shall be computed and collected up to the next second day of September succeeding, no deduction being made by reason of any installment of the assessment being due or paid prior thereto in such year.

(a) A copy of the order of the legislative body determining the assessments remaining unpaid and upon the security of which bonds are issued shall be filed in the office of the auditor. The auditor shall keep a record in his or her office showing the several installments of principal and interest on the assessments which are to be collected in each year during the term of the bonds. The auditor shall annually enter in his or her assessment roll on which taxes will next become due, opposite each lot or parcel of land affected in a space marked "public improvement assessment," or by other suitable designation, the several installments of the assessment coming due during the fiscal year covered by the assessment roll, including in each case the interest due on the total unpaid assessments.
  (b) The auditor shall also add a maximum of 5 percent of the amount of the installments and of the interest so entered, not to exceed the city treasurer's estimate of the expenses of collection, and in any case not to exceed eight dollars ($8) per lot or parcel per installment, except with the landowner's written consent. The expenses of collection shall include necessary administrative expenses of the city incurred in providing the auditor with current information regarding the ownership or division of the affected lots or parcels of land to ensure the proper entry by the auditor in his or her assessment roll of the several installments of the assessment coming due during the fiscal year covered by the assessment roll and the timely collection of the installments. The percentages, and the amount represented by the installments, when collected shall belong to the city and shall cover the expenses and compensation of the city treasurer incurred in the collection of the assessments, and of the interest and penalties added on to the assessments. No other percentage or amount shall be claimed by the legislative body for the collections.
  (c) In the case of an assessment district created prior to January 1, 1988, the amount of collection costs which may be collected pursuant to this section may be the amount which could have been collected pursuant to this section as it read prior to being amended by Chapter 874 of the Statutes of 1986.

(a) In addition to the amounts set forth in Section 8682, the auditor shall further annually enter in the assessment roll on which taxes will next become due, opposite each lot or parcel of land affected, in the manner set forth in Section 8682, each lot's or parcel's pro rata share of the annual expenses of the city in connection with the registration of the bonds under the system of registration authorized by Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 5050) of Division 6 of Title 1 of the Government Code, as determined by the legislative body. The expenses shall include the amount or estimated amount necessary to pay the fees and charges coming due during the fiscal year covered by the assessment roll of corporate or other authenticating agents, transfer agents, registrars, paying agents, agents engaged to assist in complying with federal arbitrage requirements, or other agents of the city. If the city performs any transfer, registration, authentication, payment, or other function described in this section, the expenses shall include a pro rata amount of the salaries of the city employees involved in the performance of the functions and all other costs incurred by the city in connection with the functions.
  (b) Alternatively, the legislative body may elect to include in the assessment, and in the amount of the bonds, the estimated aggregate total of the expenses throughout the term of the bonds and to pay the annual amounts of the expenses from the fund created. Any amount remaining in the fund upon the retirement of the bonds shall be disposed of as provided in Section 8783.

If the legislative body conducting the proceedings is not a county and collections of assessments are made by county officials, the county auditor shall, within 90 days after each installment becomes delinquent, render to the city a detailed report showing the amounts of the installments, interest, penalties, and percentages so collected on each proceeding and from what property collected, identifying any properties which are delinquent and the amount and length of time in arrears, and also giving a statement of the percentages retained for the expenses of making such collections.

Taxpayers shall have the same right to pay assessments together with interest, and any penalties thereon, under protest as they have to pay general city taxes under protest, but their written protest must accompany each such payment.

If any lot or parcel of land affected by any assessment is not separately assessed on the tax roll so that the installment of the assessment to be collected can be conveniently entered thereon, then the auditor shall enter on the roll a description of the lot or parcel affected, with the name of the owners if known, but otherwise the owners may be described as "unknown owners," and extend the proper installment opposite the same.

If it appears to the legislative body that, according to the dates when taxes are collected in the city, there will be an insufficient amount on hand to pay the interest when due, according to the method of collection provided by the preceding provisions of this division, the legislative body may direct that such interest or some portion of it be collected in the year preceding that in which the same would otherwise be collected, and thereupon such interest or portion thereof shall be extended on the rolls for such preceding year and be due and collected therein.

Any interested owner shall have the right to tender to the treasurer in payment or part payment of any installment of the assessment or interest or penalties thereon which may be due or payable, any bond secured thereby, the bond to be taken at par and credit to be given for the accrued interest shown thereby computed to the date of tender. The treasurer shall thereupon cancel the bond and shall cause proper credit therefor to be entered on the records of the assessment, in the office of the auditor and tax collector.

Within the Bass Lake Improvement District in Madera County, a person who has an interest in any land in the improvement district less than a fee interest, such as a leaseholder or subleaseholder, may pay, and the tax collector may accept payment for the entire assessment or any installment thereon, including the assessment on the fee interest. When the tax collector accepts such payment on a portion or part of a parcel, the tax collector shall record such information as required to identify such payment, and the tax collector may add to such assessment a fee as required to pay any additional costs incurred for accepting such payment on a portion of the parcel assessed. The tax collector shall deposit all such fees in the general fund of the treasury.